| 08 April 2011
Playing in the safe, comfortable confines of Target Field didn't do much to rescue the Twins from their poor offensive play.
From errant pick-off throws to botched fieldwork, Minnesota wasn't at their best Friday afternoon. Save for the eighth-inning dramatics, a two-out rally in the first inning was essentially all the offense the Twins generated against the Oakland Athletics Friday afternoon, and the sell-out crowd in attendance to see Minnesota's home opener were no doubt disappointed by the mediocre offensive performance.
To be fair, the Athletics' Brett Anderson is one of the most talented young pitchers in the league, and he highlights a vastly-underrated Oakland starting rotation. Though he was aided by a couple of poor Minnesota at-bats, Anderson was firing on all cylinders Friday afternoon, reaching a two-ball count just a couple of times.
But the Twins finally got things going in the 8th inning, when Anderson started to tire. With two outs, pinch-hitter Jason Kubel proved he isn't totally useless against left-handed pitching, and advanced Danny Valencia to third on a single to right. Denard Span showed off his quick hands, plating the tying run.
Joe Mauer smacked an 0-1 pitch to left to score the go-ahead run. Justin Morneau nearly brought another run home, but an excellent catch by Josh Willingham in left field ended the inning.
In his first-ever appearance in Target Field, Joe Nathan ended the game to give the Twins their third victory of the year. Nathan allowed one runner to reach after a bleeding infield hit, and kept things dramatic in the 9th inning, but managed to record three outs and give his team their first home victory of the year.
Carl Pavano had a deceivingly-solid start against the Athletics. A walk, wild pitch, and off-target pick-off throw scored the only Athletic run of the game, but Pavano pitched very well in the following seven innings. Scattering just three hits in his eight innings of work, Pavano gave Minnesota their first quality start of the season.
But Anderson's dominance -- and a few lucky, rally-killing double plays -- kept the Twins offense at bay for much of the game, but the 23-year-old grew weary in the 8th inning, and Minnesota capitalized.
It's certainly nice to know that the Twins can hold their own against the best pitchers in the league, and didn't wither up and die when Anderson had retired over a dozen batters in a row. The Twins remained patient, waiting for their chance, and took advantage when the opportunity arose.
Pavano's start can certainly be given "gem" status, despite the rough start. The veteran pitcher will be needed to help shore up an inconsistent Minnesota rotation this year, and it was good to see that he's still capable of tossing eight four-hit innings.
Notes:
- Alexi Casilla hasn't done himself any favors through the season's first seven games. If the young Dominican intends on keeping his gig as starting shortstop, he'll certainly need to hit more: a .486 OPS is tough to hide.
- Tsuyoshi Nishioka fractured his leg Thursday afternoon while trying to turn a double-play and avoid Nick Swisher's hard slide. Though he was placed on the disabled list immediately following the game, the Japanese second baseman received some good news today: his injury won't require surgery, and his leg won't be put in a cast. Hopefully Nishioka won't be out too long, and he'll get back to the starting lineup quickly.
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